Harvey Weinstein Accused of Further Sexual Harassment By Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie
Zack Sharf
In the wake of articles from both The New York Times and The New Yorker that detail Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual harassment, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie have now officially gone on the record accusing the former studio head of misconduct. The two Oscar winners both revealed to The New York Times that Weinstein made unwanted sexual advances to them in hotel rooms at early points in their careers.
“I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did,” Jolie told The Times in an email. The event occurred during the release of “Playing by Heart” in the late 1990s, in which Jolie starred and Weinstein’s company Miramax distributed. “This behavior towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable.”
Paltrow’s account is even more detailed. Weinstein hired the actress when she was only 22 to play the lead role in the Jane Austen adaptation “Emma.” According to Paltrow, Weinstein invited her to his hotel room at the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for a “work meeting” that resulted in him “placing his hands on her and suggesting they head to the bedroom for massages.”
“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” Paltrow said. The actress told then-boyfriend Brad Pitt about the encounter, who approached Weinstein about the harassment. Paltrow received threats from Weinstein soon after and was told not to tell anyone else about the act. Mr. Pitt confirmed the account to The Times.
“I thought he was going to fire me,” she said. “He screamed at me for a long time. It was brutal.”
Paltrow later went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress as part of Miramax’s “Shakespeare in Love,” and the victory only made her more nervous to speak out about her earlier encounter with Weinstein. “I was expected to keep the secret,” she said about Weinstein’s come-on following her Oscar win.
“We’re at a point in time when women need to send a clear message that this is over,” she concluded. “This way of treating women ends now.”
For more accusations against Weinstein, head to The New York Times’ latest piece here.
